There is an increasing awareness about the problems associated with blood transfusions. One concern is that of bacterial contamination of blood bags. If contaminated blood is transfused, the person receiving the blood is at risk of becoming sick and dying. Current standards require that blood be visually inspected before leaving the laboratory. If the blood has an abnormal appearance, it is not used. This visual quality check is subject to human judgment which is based on training and experience. Unfortunately, bacterial contamination of blood is not something that can easily be recognized. Is has been shown, however, that there is a color change in blood as bacteria grow. This is due to hemolysis of red blood cells and reduced oxygen content. The overall objective of this project is to develop a non-invasive, low-cost system that uses optically identifiable phenomenon to detect bacterial contamination in banked blood. The system needs to be repeatable, accurate, and non-subjective. Phase I will establish feasibility of this method and quantify spectral changes due to blood contamination. Phase Il will focus on the advanced development of a low-cost, real-time device that employs the method established in Phase I, and is compatible with existing blood banking procedures. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: This technology will find wide use among any organization that uses blood and/or blood bags. The commercial value of a system to rapidly and inexpensively screen banked blood would be high.